SIM card

6 Ways to Slash the Cost of Wi-Fi When You Travel

Deia B — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 11:00:05 +0000

When you spend most of your time either at home or at the office, you probably take your Wi-Fi signal for granted. Then when you travel, suddenly connecting to a Wi-Fi network becomes a privilege. Sometimes you can enjoy it for free; at other times you have to pay high premiums for it. But with a little bit of planning, you can get free or cheap Wi-Fi almost anywhere. Here's how. (See also: Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards)

Look for Free Hotel Wi-Fi

Many hotels have wisened up to the fact that Wi-Fi is a necessity for many travelers. Some hotels choose to use this information to charge a fee for Wi-Fi use and earn a short-term profit; others choose to provide the service for free and get long-term business.

When you book a hotel, pay attention to the amenities included. Some hotels charge for Wi-Fi access by the hour or by the night, so it can get expensive quickly. Even if you have to pay a higher nightly rate for a hotel with free Wi-Fi, it may be worth the price.

Join a Hotel Loyalty Program

Some hotel loyalty programs provide free Wi-Fi for members. Depending on the hotel chain, you may have to accumulate a minimum number of points, stay a minimum number of nights, or acquire a certain elite status to enjoy this perk. Some programs only require you to join for free to get free Wi-Fi. For example, Omni Resorts & Hotels and InterContinental Hotels Group both charge Wi-Fi fees, but let even basic members of their loyalty programs enjoy it for free.

Download Before You Leave Home

Travel involves a lot of idle time, like when you're waiting for a boarding call or sitting on a plane. If you only need Wi-Fi for entertainment, you can avoid Wi-Fi fees at airports and on planes by downloading videos and reading materials ahead of time. You may even be able to get some work done offline using only Microsoft Office programs. (See also: 10 Ways to Keep Your Laptop Safe While Traveling)

I personally like to use digital maps to find my way when I travel. Because I don't always have a data connection, Google Maps' offline features often come in handy. I simply load the part of the map I need when I have Wi-Fi connection, then have Google Maps save it on my smartphone.

Tether to Your Smartphone

If you travel to a domestic location where you're not charged any roaming fees, make full use of your smartphone data connection. Before you travel, check if your smartphone supports tethering, which allows other devices to connect to your phone's data network. It's a bit like having your own little Wi-Fi router.

All you have to do is enable tethering on your phone, then use your other device to find and connect to the phone's Wi-Fi network. Don't forget to contact your phone provider before you travel to find out if there are any extra fees to use this feature.

If you travel abroad, you may still be able to tether a device to your phone, but the roaming fees may make it so expensive that you'd be better off paying for the hotel Wi-Fi. Look into using a local SIM card in an unlocked phone to enjoy local tethering rates.

Get a USB Modem

If you travel a lot, you can consider getting a dedicated device to connect to the Internet. One option is a USB modem, which is a compact stick that plugs into your laptop or tablet. You usually have to install special software on your device to use a USB modem, but it's portable and easy to use after your first time connecting to the Internet with it.

You also need a data plan to use a USB modem, but it could be cheaper than what hotels charge if you travel within the country. If you travel abroad, you may be able to save some money by getting a local data plan.

Get a Mobile Hotspot

A mobile hotspot works in a similar way as a USB modem. Known as "Mi-Fi," this device is usually more robust than just a smartphone or a USB modem, with a longer-lasting battery and the ability to connect multiple devices at once. It's also not necessary to install special software to connect to the Internet with a Mi-Fi. You can probably get a Mi-Fi device for free or at a deep discount if you sign up for a data plan contract.

Find Free Public Wi-Fi

If none of the above options seem practical for you, there are often public Wi-Fi networks you can use.

Coffee shops are your best bet, but more and more businesses are offering free Wi-Fi access. You may be able to get free Wi-Fi at fast food restaurants, grocery stores, bookstores, and even gas stations. Just look for a Wi-Fi sign at the entrance.

Public spaces in big cities may also provide free Wi-Fi access. For example, Taipei has free public Wi-Fi at train stations, libraries, hospitals, malls, and even some commercial and residential areas. Research your travel destination beforehand to see if the local government provides this service and where.

Where do you go for Wi-Fi access when you travel? Please share your connection in comments!

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This article is from Deia B of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Frugal Ways to Stay in Touch on the Road

Nora Dunn — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 01:49:01 +0000

When I left "home" for a life of travel and adventure, I needed a way for family and friends to stay in touch (and despite the internet age we live in, I have some family members who refuse to venture into cyberspace). I had a smokin' deal on my cellular service and was hesitant to give up my local cell phone number, but I also knew that roaming and long distance charges on the road would prohibit my ability to use that number while traveling.

After speaking to many people and spending way too much time online researching, I discovered the perfect way to stay in touch on the cheap while on the road.

1) Buy (or ensure you already own) a GSM Quad Band Phone.

Around the world cell phone network frequencies vary, and some phones have the ability to read these signals while others don't.

GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. (You will rarely see it referred to as anything other than GSM though).

The frequency bands available are 850 and 1900 Mhz (used mainly in the Americas), and 900 / 1800 Mhz (for Europe & Asia).

Beware: Lots of phones claim to be quad band, but in fact are only tri band, omitting the GSM 900 band. Make sure all four bands are available and open on your phone for it to work everywhere.

2) Unlock your GSM phone (or buy it unlocked already).

Having an unlocked phone allows you to put any SIM card into it which in turn allows your one physical phone to be a portal to numerous telephone numbers and networks.

If you already own your phone and it was sold to you by your cell phone provider, it is probably not unlocked. Depending on the phone you have, there are inexpensive kits available on the net (usually under $10) you can order to unlock your phone. Other phones simply need you to enter a "secret" set of numbers on your phone to unlock it.

Since I'm not the most technologically savvy person, I chose to buy my phone unlocked already, from an independent cell phone seller. Ebay is a great resource for such things, as are places like Tiger Direct and Amazon.

3) Make sure your phone takes SIM Cards!

There are some providers in North America I know of who don't employ the use of SIM cards. (SIM stands for Security Information Management, by the way). It is a small plastic card usually stored under the battery which stores the information for your phone number. Consequently these phones will be ultimately useless for global travel with no place for the SIM cards to be inserted.

4) Hit the road and get a local SIM card.

Once you're on the road and settled in a country or geographic region for any period of time such that you want the ease and accessibility of a local number, you'll want a local SIM card. Depending on the country you are in, SIM cards can be purchased in different places. Visiting a cellular store is usually the best bet, but in some places you can get SIM cards in convenience stores and the airport.

You'll likely want to go with a pay-as-you-go service, and shouldn't have to pay much if anything for the SIM card itself.

5) Purchase a Long Distance Phone Card for calls home.

Since you have a local number now, you may want to get a long distance phone card to ensure any calls home are cheap. Again these can be bought in any number of places, and are quite prevalent all over the world. Be wary of the ones with expensive connection fees, and try to read the fine print before dropping a wad of cash on a card that may not be right for the types of calls you'll be making.

And now you're ready to go!

With this Five-Step system, you'll have the following advantages:

You will have a local phone number wherever you are, which will make it easy for local new friends and businesses to contact you during your stay.
Your family and friends back home can call you to keep in touch, and you will only pay local charges (your family of course will pay long distance, but hopefully they have a good plan with their land line).
You can make long distance calls home for a deep discount by using a local number and long distance phone card, instead of paying costly roaming charges with your original phone number.
You can use the same cell phone for multiple phone numbers by simply switching out the SIM cards.
You can maintain your original home cell number and pick up messages from the friends and family members you forgot (or didn't want) to give you new number to.

This article is from Nora Dunn of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: